It is very significant. There are no Republican congressmen (or women) in that state. There has not been a Republican senator from Massachusetts since '72. Kennedy had the seat since the early 60's. And, Coakley had a 30 point lead (THIRTY POINTS!) back in the summer. What does that tell you? Do the math. The Democrats are fixing to lose control of Congress.

The 2008 elections were very significant as well. The people voted for 'change'. It is turning out that this is not the 'change' they were looking for.

I got so excited that I did not know my s from a t in the second word of my comment amd I added an extra e on the email. Sorry, but when you get old it is a challenge to turn the computer on and get on line.

alot of very liberal people in Mass. and they dont like the present healthcare bill because it isnt comprehensive enough......So they voted Brown to kill the bill and hope that in future a better more comprehesive bill will come out......Also, alot of Mass people dont care about a national healthcare plan because they got a state mandated healthcare plan......If Barnesville was only city in Ga with legalized cocaine, then why would we want the state to legalize it for the whole state?.......then we wouldnt be different

This just proves my theory that the world is filled with idiots. This back and forth between parties is a joke. The American people suffer from compulsive indecisiveness. Doesnt matter who is in office, they will screw it up somehow. So Repubs, continue to party like its 1999 and it will end like it did in 2008.

One seat may not stop the bill that has already been passed by the Senate, but it could possibly stop a new bill now that the Democrats do not have a 60 seat majority in the Senate. If the Republicans ban together (no one knows) they could filabuster and actually stop it.

Democrats told me if I voted for McCain the economy would get worse, deficit spending would increase, unemployment would rise, the war would be expanded, and no Healthcare overhaul.
Dang! They were right. I voted for McCain & that's exactly what happened.
Mea culpa!

I suppose you can make a comment like that since there is no way of telling how much worse it would have been if McCain had been elected. Judging by the train wreck that was his campaign, probably much much worse. Obama is better than the global embarrassment that was Bush.

You're right. We don't know how much worse it would have been had McCain been elected. On the other hand, we don't know how much BETTER it would have been, either.

"Obama is better than the global embarrassment that was Bush." Are you serious? Let's see what Obama has done in his first year. Spent a trillion dollars (took Bush 8 years to do it), Chicago got denied the Olympics, can't get the health care bill passed, his approval ratings are sinking faster than the Titanic, every election he has endorsed or tried to help since his election has ended in defeat. Not to mention bowing down to every dictator on the planet. Who's the global embarassment again?

This is so funny, as if a die hard blue state woke up one morning and turned red. Yea right! This election was just an in your face to the present health care legislation before congress. As many Democrats have already said, it’s time to scrap this bill and start over. Special interest has tainted this bill to the point that it’s of no value to the average income American citizen. Health care reform is not going away, just backing up, regrouping and preparing for round three. As you can see below this state has passed the most modern healthcare legislation in US history.
The Massachusetts health care reform law was enacted in 2006. It requires nearly every resident of Massachusetts to obtain health insurance coverage. Through the law, Massachusetts provides free health care for residents earning less than 150% of the federal poverty level (FPL), and partially subsidized health care for those earning up to 300% of the FPL, depending on an income-based sliding scale. The law is credited with covering an additional 439,000 Massachusetts residents as of April 1, 2008.[2]
The law established an independent public authority, the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, also known as the Health Connector, which offers the subsidized coverage and facilitates the selection and purchase of private insurance plans by individuals and small businesses. Incentives for residents to obtain health insurance coverage include tax penalties for failing to obtain an insurance plan. In 2007, Massachusetts tax filers who failed to enroll in a health insurance plan that was deemed affordable for them lost the $219 personal exemption on their income tax. In 2008, penalties increase by monthly increments, and are based on half of the cost of a health insurance plan.
Way to go Massachusetts. Thanks for the wake up call. Now, maybe the Dems will finally come out fighting.

You can’t stop humanity from moving forward, PERIOD, no matter how cold hearted one becomes. You might obstruct it for a while, like the GOP has been doing, but as the older generation assumes room temperature the youth of America, will again, carry it forward. Accept the enviable and you might live long enough to benefit from it.

We democrats have no one to blame but ourselves.
We have a majority in both houses and can't get something pushed thru.
The repugs could not stop us.
Now we has wasted too much time and it ain't gonna get thru.
What the heck?

You call it obstruct, I call it common sense against bad legislation.
You yourself called it "tainted".

Why should republicans "go along" with "tainted" legislation.
Furthermore last time I looked, democrats had a majory to get anything thru they wanted.
Looks to me like them dems are obstructing themselves.

I thought this posting would bring some wing nuts out of the woodwork. This blog might just hit 2 mil before the end of the year. As far as, Dems and the GOP...In my book their all the same. It's more like there are those who don't give a rats patootie about the American people and those who do have at least a trace of compassion left in their soul. I just happen to think their are more of those left in the Democratic party. I could be wrong but that's what my instinct tells me, But it's my end that could stink. It may be time to take a shower....Is it Saturday yet?

Do you think that republicans are not guilty of tainted legislation? Do you think there were no dirty deals made to keep them from signing on to health care reform? They are in the pockets of health insurance companies, just like Leiberman.
And now they prance around all sanctimonious, as if they are above such crookedness. They have sold out just like anyone else but mascarade their choice as though they are somehow saving the country by doing nothing to help the uninsured. Right..
What is in those teabags??

The bill had become tainted. Have you forgotten the millions the insurance industry donated to change or kill the bill. Did you see the insurance stocks soar because all would be required to purchase insurance with the public option dead? I"m glad President Obama chose not to rush it through before Senator Brown is sworn in. Maybe he does have the best interest of America on his agenda.

Obama with America's interest on his agenda. What a joke! His only interest is America's downfall. All any sane level headed person needs to do is look at his background. It's going to take many terms before any leader will be able to put a dent in the damage he is prepared to cause.

Obama is not the one who keeps hoping America will fail. He didn't raise your taxes or take your guns or any of the stupid stuff the republicans keep harping on. He is trying to pass a health care bill that will benifit Americans. When a health problem bankrupts your family you might see things differently. It's about time the government passes some legislation that helps the average American instead of "Big Business". Why are you so afraid of that. And don't give me that crap about Dems want everything handed to them and Repubs are the only ones who work and pay taxes. That's what Rush wants you to believe. Who needs to worry about terrorist destroying this country when we have become so divided we will destroy ourselves just to make the president look bad?

Pull your head out of your rear-end. If government wanted to pass health care legislation, they would all be capable of working together to pass something logical and not something obtained through bribes and behind locked doors and out of sight. The thing that destroyed health care reform was the arrogant stance taken by a few far left democrats that pressured other democrats to join in the battle. They proceeded with total disregard of the people’s voice and are experiencing exactly what they ask for. It will be even more evident in November when the people will once again give many of them the boot. Those up for re-election know it now but it very hard to get the poop off your shoes when you’ve spent so much time tap dancing in it.

I don’t care how important any bill is. If it can only cross the president’s desk with several attachments to it, it’s not worth passing anyway. It only demonstrates that it was only important enough for some congressperson to get something from it.

Political views? Considering the nature of politics I choose not to have political views, although, I do have a philosophy about life.
Politics, even more so in recent history has always been an us verses them mindset. Politics brands people and their thinking. It pervasive practice is to manipulate the elements of the populous, like their religion, economic class, traditional values and subconscious fears in order to subdivide and exploit for their own concealed profitable advantage.
The deciding factor for me in who gets my vote usually depends on the motivation built-in into their own propaganda machine. I like to think I would vote issues but during campaigning, words are cheap and their positions seldom are as they so obviously appear. I generally gravitate toward how the party or candidate decides to engage the voters. Do they use hype and ill relevant distinctions between themselves and their opponent? Do they have an inclusive nature or try to separate people by use of petty differences or cultural taboos. Do they provide a positive vision or a fear of doom and gloom if you don’t vote for me. Of most importance is that a person vigilantly works on their self. They should be able to step back from their own thinking (like an outside observer) and ask their selves the hard questions like: Is this thinking really me or am I adopting someone else’s point of view? Am I genuine in my position or is it just a political party’s platform? Make your vote be a reflection not of your own unaddressed reservations but of the promise in humanity.

You can't work with people who only know the word NO. The thing that ruined the bill was that the only compromising that was done was to please the insurance industry. The bill is not worth passing now, but it should've been.

Why don't you tell us all who it is that only knows the word "NO". And, why don't you explain how the only "compromising that was done was to please the insurance industry" and please continue with "it should've been" because I'd really like to know from someone who does know. Please enlighten us with your genius and way above average IQ. Share thye facts!

O.K. I'll share. The republican party is the party of NO. They say NO to anything that comes before them, against all common sense or logic if they think it hurts the democrats. Sometimes it's veterans issues, sometimes the richest 2% of our population, sometimes the population in general. It makes no difference. After 8 years of sliding backwards, now it's 4 of sitting still. We need policies in place that will help the average citizen. That's NOT socialism, It's good government.
I'll answer your second question with three words, The Public Option.
As far as what "should've been", There should have been a healthcare bill passed that provided Americans with a public option and some rules about pre-existing conditions and many other tactics the insurance industry uses to get out of covering costs. It could've should've been, but it's not. Other countries can do it, but we're better than them cause we can sit back and say "We didn't fall for that evil socialist b.s.". Policies made in D.C. affect real live people. Millions of em. It's not just Obama's Waterloo.

Hopefully it's not run like the Commonwealth's Mass Bay Transit Authority!!!!!! Or how about the folks that ran the Big Dig? Oh that's where they moved all the folks that should have gone to jail during the big dig. To the "independent public authority", the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority. Now they can waste MA taxpayers money as well as Federal Monies. EXCELLANT